Golan Heights

Leading Republican senators are renewing efforts to formally recognize the contested Golan Heights region on Israel’s northern border as officially part of the Jewish state, according to U.S. officials who described this effort to the Washington Free Beacon as a “slam dunk.”

Republican Sens. Tom Cotton (Ark.) and Ted Cruz (Texas) issued a joint statement on Sunday in support of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights after reports of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the region.

A congressional resolution to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the contested Golan Heights region in Syria met a quick demise this week after House GOP leadership quietly put the kibosh on the measure following what sources allege was opposition from top Republican leaders and some in Trump administration, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

The White House is doing damage control after video surfaced Friday of official U.S. maps that erased key areas in Israel, a move that only fueled concern about the Trump administration position on the Jewish state.